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Gold Star Presentation made to Woodring’s siblings

MT. ZION – Several special presentations were made during the fifth annual dedication ceremony at Mt. Zion Historic Park on Saturday afternoon. Starting things off was a Gold Star Presentation made by Hank Anderson and Leslie Neal. Richard Coccimiglio, master of ceremonies, explained prior to the presentation that the honor dates back to World War I.“In World War I, 1918, Woodrow Wilson approved a suggestion from the Women’s Committee of National Defense recommending that American women should wear a black band with a gold star. Each star represents a family member who has given his or her life to our country. President Woodrow Wilson was the first to use the term ‘Gold Star Mothers,’” Coccimiglio said. He noted that Congress granted the Gold Star Mothers a federal charter in 1984, and designated the first Sunday in September as the official Gold Star Mothers Day. Neal added that during the early days of World War I, the blue star was used to represent each person in the military service of the United States. The gold star eventually began to be superimposed over the blue star.“The idea of the gold star was that the honor and glory accorded to the person for his supreme sacrifice and offering for his country the last full measure of devotion and pride of the family in this sacrifice rather than the sense of personal loss being represented by mourning symbols,” Neal said.A gold star and banner were presented to Bob Woodring and Frances Anderson, whose brother, Floyd, was killed in action during World War II.